My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

If you enjoyed falling into far-away lands with Roald Dahl, JK Rowling, or CS Lewis, you'll love this book. Backman creates a character of Elsa, a 7-year-old girl who is struggling with grief and loss by melding her real world with the fantasy world her grandmother always told her about. Our tale will pop back and forth between The Land of Almost Awake and the real world, often times drawing connections between the two that may catch you off guard. 

This book made me laugh out loud with Backman's figurative language and voice. This book made my eyes water at the descriptions of thing Elsa was feeling with her loss. This book gave me goosebumps when life happened in ways that surprised me. 

I recommend this book for all adults who remember our fantasy worlds and want to read about another one through the eyes of a child. If you believe fairy tales are based in real tales and can help with grief, give this one a shot.

Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino

Villains #1

I was looking forward to this book because I love villains. When it comes to Disney villains, the Evil Queen from Snow White is probably up there with my favorites. She's dark and dangerous, evil and malicious, and we never really know why. This book attempts to give her depth and a backstory to explain her evil ways.

While it is a premise I was in love with, the book fell flat. We still don't know her name and her reasons for her behavior were disappointing. I'd rate the story 2.5 smiles if I could find a way to make 1/2 a smile. I rounded up to 3. We'll say I gave an extra 0.5 a smile for that gorgeous cover.

A little too dark. A little too skimpy on the backstory. A little lacking in detail.

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

“I have to tell it this way, in pieces. I have to work my way up to it. Work my way back to it. I have to show you the beautiful things before I get to the ugly.” 

This mystery/thriller follows Nicolette as she travels back to her hometown to work out a family situation. But what follows is a story, told in reverse, of the mystery behind the disappearance of two different girls gone missing ten years apart.

I found myself wrapped up in the drama which occurs naturally as the story is told backward. Information is offered up as a carrot, dangled before you and leaving you turning pages chasing for another taste. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it for all mystery readers. 

The Unseelie Prince by Kaitlyn Abdou

The Hawthorn Throne Series, Book 1

This little novella seems intended to get us interested in what is happening in the fantasy world we've been plummeted into. The entire thing seems to read like a long prequel, which is intriguing. I must say the small glimpses into the world outside the confines of the little room have my attention. There seems to be an entire complex world we have only barely scratched the surface of here.

Most of the focus of the story, however, is on the erotic scenes. The book seems to rush through the fantasy elements, which drive the plot, and slow down for the erotic scenes between the lead characters. This left me feeling unconnected to either of the two main characters, Noah and Feargus, but somehow invested in their future together.

As this is listed as the first in a series, I'll be interested to see if Book 2 can explore more of what is going on with the other characters and Faeries mentioned.

A quick read. Recommended if you don't mind erotica.

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

First of all, the back of this book does not do it justice. If you are an avid reader the description of this book instantly makes you think you've heard this story before. A girl who works in wedding planning but doesn't believe in love? There's literally a movie about that. 

So what's different here?

Louna Barrett, the main character, is a teenager. That changes a lot of things, I think. We give young love a lot more leeway because it's so new an experience for the character. But her history is heart wrenching in a way I wasn't expecting. It made me connect with and invest in her character right away. I loved her.

Ambrose wasn't my favorite character, but I did like him. He's real and awkward, which I appreciate. I would've liked to see him challenged a bit more. I like characters who learn and grow from failing, especially when they think they have it all planned out. That's the evil in me, I suppose. 

Overall, I enjoyed this story (as evidenced by the fact that I read the entire book in one day). It was fun, it felt real, and I recommend it.

The Passion of Cleopatra by Anne and Christopher Rice

Ramses the Damned #2

I couldn't NOT read this book after how thoroughly I enjoyed Ramses the Damned (aka Mummy, which I previously raved about and rated five smiles).

This sequel picks up shortly after the events in the first book. I don't normally say this, but I recommend you read them in order. There isn't a lot of time spent on reminding you about the events in the previous book. I was okay with that, since I read them close to each other, but I could see it being a problem if you haven't.

The characters continued to be wonderful. There are major changes in Julie, which you would expect given the ending of the first book, but they work. This book, however, follows Cleopatra for most of the time. I enjoyed the way she was written and her inner strength of character. I also really enjoyed the ending she was given this time around. Very pleasing overall.

I did have a few moments where I was confused about who new characters were and how they fit into the plot. In the end most of them were answered. Overall, highly recommended sequel even if the first one was better.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. 

This book takes everything I love about YA (characters, angst, self doubt, new love, passion) and everything I love about mystery (question everything, trust no one) and throws them into one novel. It's a great read and the great who-done-it story. 

Some of the aspects were a bit easy to predict, but I have to remind myself here that someone who has read as many mystery novels (for adults and teens) as I have isn't necessarily the intended audience. The predictability didn't ruin the story. 

I loved the characters. The writing was well done. I recommend this book!

Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison

If you loved Gone Girl,  or Girl on a Train you'll love this one. I'd call this one a domestic thriller. It's full of mystery and twists I didn't necessarily see coming. I loved the way the story unfolded and I'd read this one again.

Recommended for thriller or mystery fans.
Five smiles.

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Where are my sappy romance readers? The people who like adorable sugary-sweet romance (ala Nicholas Sparks)? This one is for you.

This book takes a simple romance story and puts a twist on it that I loved. What if your imaginary friend was your one true love? is the tagline. I enjoyed it, it's a fast read, and the characters are fun. If you tell me you love cutesy romance, I'm telling you to read this one. 

Three smiles for me personally but that's only because sugary sweet isn't my thing.

Truth or Die by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

This is a stand-alone thriller from James Patterson. It has everything you'd say you want from Patterson: interesting characters, a mystery you have to solve, and action scenes. I'm not sure I could really pinpoint why this one fell flat for me. It reads quickly and it is interesting in the moment. It's forgettable, which is too bad.

If you like a quick mystery this is probably rated higher for you.

Three smiles.